Brian Stanfield Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 This is an embarrassingly remedial question, but I haven't done Champions in 30 years, since 1E. I've been doing Fantasy Hero for years, and have 6e and Fantasy Hero Complete as well, so I'm up to date on the rules. I've also got Champions Complete, as well as many of the 6e .pdfs (I came along too late to get the physical books). So, what I'm wondering about is this: I want to do a first-time Champions game with some friends who've never done HERO System. What are some good beginner adventures/scenarios to use for such a thing? I'm not looking for depth, yet, just a good first experience to get them hooked. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndianaJoe3 Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 Are you looking for published adventures or inspiration for creating your own? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Stanfield Posted June 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 Good point. I meant to ask for published material that is already available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantriped Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 I don't think there are any 1st party published scenarios for Champions Complete/6th Edition Champions. There is a smattering of 3rd party materials (Evilution Unchained for example). Most of the Champions Villains entries do have suggestions for the kind of scenarios you can use them in, and you could always take a plot from an obscure superhero comic (preferably one that features a group or team of heroes) and replace the protagonists with the players, and the antagonists with villains from the Champions Universe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Democracy Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 I don't think that you need to worry about adventures being specifically written for sixth edition. The core HERO is so similar in gameplay that it mostly does not matter how they are built, they are easily used as written, combat values, defences, STUN, BODY and END will all still be there. I had a great time with the Coriolis Effect including a memorable ad hoc, haunted house addition when exploring the Black Enchantresses childhood home. What you really need to think about is what kind of adventure you like to run then choose from one of the many out there and use them as the base for your group. When doing supers (IMO of course) don't get too caught up in the idea of investigation, or fights or anything else. Superheroes should get an opportunity to show how powerful they are, should get an idea of how powerful their opponent might be, be given a challenge or moral dilemma, be allowed to be heroic, even if the numbers don't always stack up, then bask in the adulation of the mortals around them... :-) Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 I don't think that you need to worry about adventures being specifically written for sixth edition. The core HERO is so similar in gameplay that it mostly does not matter how they are built, they are easily used as written, combat values, defences, STUN, BODY and END will all still be there. I concur. It's pretty easy to use characters from Fourth or Fifth Edition in 6E games, which opens a lot of possibilities. My recommendation would be to use adventures published in Digital Hero, Hero Games' late lamented electronic magazine. Its run included quite a few complete, self-contained adventures, especially for Champions, designed for beginning heroes. They contain maps, statted NPCs, in some cases even pre-generated PC heroes. And each issue of DH is dirt-cheap. Our forum colleague JmOz compiled a list of DH adventures categorized by genre, using the descriptions from the issues' Table of Contents. I'll Attach that below. DH Adventures .doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Stanfield Posted June 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 I concur. It's pretty easy to use characters from Fourth or Fifth Edition in 6E games, which opens a lot of possibilities. My recommendation would be to use adventures published in Digital Hero, Hero Games' late lamented electronic magazine. Its run included quite a few complete, self-contained adventures, especially for Champions, designed for beginning heroes. They contain maps, statted NPCs, in some cases even pre-generated PC heroes. And each issue of DH is dirt-cheap. Our forum colleague JmOz compiled a list of DH adventures categorized by genre, using the descriptions from the issues' Table of Contents. I'll Attach that below. That's great! This is more like what I'm looking for! Thank you for this! I may have been unclear in my first post. I'm not necessarily looking for 6e adventures, just anything from any edition. When I played 1e we just made stuff up and didn't worry about it too much. I never got any of the other books except for a couple of the Villains books for 1e. I'd like something a little more organized now, but it doesn't have to be a complete campaign or setting. Which brings me to a secondary question: what is a good setting to be looking at for later on down the line? Millennium City? San Angelo? Any suggestions here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 Depends on you and your group's interests. Millennium City is science/futuristic. San Angelo is more modern urban. Vibora Bay has a lot of mystic elements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantriped Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 There is also Hudson City, the default locale for Dark Champions. I'm fond of Millennium City, I like the "clean super-modern" style of it. Although as a west-coast native, I do wish they had written a campaign city for the west coast; Hudson City, Millennium City, and Vibora Bay are all on the east coast. Howver, you can also have most kinds of scenarios take place in whichever major city your players are most familiar with (with whatever minor changes are appropriate to the Champions Universe version of them); that way Google Maps can be used to find land marks and make battle-maps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 I am hoping to have at least the bones of something out this summer for exactly this idea. Check out the Champions Begins thread for details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantriped Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 Likewise one of the supplements I am working on (and am very behind with) is an organization book which contains a slew of pregenerated scenarios and other game elements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 I concur. It's pretty easy to use characters from Fourth or Fifth Edition in 6E games, which opens a lot of possibilities. My recommendation would be to use adventures published in Digital Hero, Hero Games' late lamented electronic magazine. Its run included quite a few complete, self-contained adventures, especially for Champions, designed for beginning heroes. They contain maps, statted NPCs, in some cases even pre-generated PC heroes. And each issue of DH is dirt-cheap. Our forum colleague JmOz compiled a list of DH adventures categorized by genre, using the descriptions from the issues' Table of Contents. I'll Attach that below. Crap...lost that years ago, THANKS LL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjack Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 If you're looking for an episode to try out the training wheels so to speak, I've always been partial to the local bank being robbed. Either by out of the book villains or a team of normals. Late night break in or daring daylight hold-up depends on what you have for Heroes. It's an easy scenario to get across, not much in the way of pre-game explanation needed. A nice mix of Secret ID's stopping at the ATM and Heroes on patrol gets everyone in quick, and basing the interior/exterior of the bank itself on a real location somewhere local will help new players picture the environs in their heads and help with player immersion in the action All in all a nice little training room session or the origins of a team, either way try and have a good time. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 Depends on you and your group's interests. Millennium City is science/futuristic. San Angelo is more modern urban. Vibora Bay has a lot of mystic elements. There is also Hudson City, the default locale for Dark Champions. I'm fond of Millennium City, I like the "clean super-modern" style of it. Although as a west-coast native, I do wish they had written a campaign city for the west coast; Hudson City, Millennium City, and Vibora Bay are all on the east coast. Howver, you can also have most kinds of scenarios take place in whichever major city your players are most familiar with (with whatever minor changes are appropriate to the Champions Universe version of them); that way Google Maps can be used to find land marks and make battle-maps. Unless I have the game in a real city, I use Hudson City for most of my games. Vibora Bay is close second for fictional city use. The biggest reason I use HC so much it is a complete city, not just an overview and most important, it is the only one with and actual city map. I mean one with actual street names and is available in a high enough resolution I can blow up a section, snapshot it and print without pixilation. Most Hero products suffer from the age they were published. Many rely on cool maps that are so small I can no longer see them and trying to zoom in the PDF produces a blotted blur. I really wish they would package and release the full resolution maps from things like Champions Battlegrounds and Thrilling Places like they did the Hudson City map. If you have Hudson City and don't have the Hudson City map from the store ($5) you are truly missing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 I'm fond of Millennium City, I like the "clean super-modern" style of it. Although as a west-coast native, I do wish they had written a campaign city for the west coast; Hudson City, Millennium City, and Vibora Bay are all on the east coast. Not a few Champions players have expressed fondness for Bay City, the setting for the Champions: New Millennium game; which essentially did to San Francisco Bay what 5E Champions did to Detroit. Hero Games now sells a pretty cheap PDF of the main source book for BC: http://www.herogames.com/forums/store/product/656-champions-new-millennium-bay-city-pdf-4th-edition/ Granted, the New Millennium materials were written for a different system; but Hero 4E character sheets for practically all the PCs in the three NM books (all of which are in the website store as PDF) were posted to an older incarnation of this website for free download. I can supply those sheets if desired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantriped Posted June 3, 2017 Report Share Posted June 3, 2017 Thanks for the link, I've put it on my wishlist. I came in with 5th, so I'd never heard of Bay City. Most of my familiarity with the Champions Universe is circa 6th edition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninja-Bear Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 If you can get ahold of Mob Rule from the BBB, it's great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 A number of free adventures for Hero System have been posted to these forums, or hosted on other websites, over the years. Of these, "Catch Me If You Can," by Bill Keyes, for 5E Champions, is of published quality, both in writing and production values. Adventure - CatchMeIfYouCan.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Stanfield Posted June 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 I'm fond of Millennium City, I like the "clean super-modern" style of it. Although as a west-coast native, I do wish they had written a campaign city for the west coast; Hudson City, Millennium City, and Vibora Bay are all on the east coast. Howver, you can also have most kinds of scenarios take place in whichever major city your players are most familiar with (with whatever minor changes are appropriate to the Champions Universe version of them); that way Google Maps can be used to find land marks and make battle-maps. From what I understand, San Angelo is a west coast setting as well. It's 4th edition and so is now available as a .pdf. Does anyone have any experience with this setting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Stanfield Posted June 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 Not a few Champions players have expressed fondness for Bay City, the setting for the Champions: New Millennium game; which essentially did to San Francisco Bay what 5E Champions did to Detroit. Hero Games now sells a pretty cheap PDF of the main source book for BC: http://www.herogames.com/forums/store/product/656-champions-new-millennium-bay-city-pdf-4th-edition/ Granted, the New Millennium materials were written for a different system; but Hero 4E character sheets for practically all the PCs in the three NM books (all of which are in the website store as PDF) were posted to an older incarnation of this website for free download. I can supply those sheets if desired. It turns out I actually have this .pdf! Can you get me those character sheets? Thanks for this lead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 4, 2017 Report Share Posted June 4, 2017 Let me check with Jason Walters if it would be okay to put them up in the website's File Downloads section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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